St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-04-18
Place of Observation
Higher. +
THEY STAND TOGETHER.

A number of prominent Republican poll
ticians effect to believe that the rapid
growth of the new Labor party will result
n weakening the Democracy to such an eX-
tent that the Republicans will have an easy
conquest in 1888. This sort OF jubilation
on the part of the Republican politicians is
after the fashion of the little boy who
whistled in the dark to keep his courage up.
In glancing over the field of national poll
ties they can observe nothing else of an en-
couraging character to the Republicans.
There is no ray of hope beaming in any
direction. The prospect for the restoration
Of the Republican party to power in the
administration of the national government
is so dark on every side that they feel inl-
PEELED to invent something hopeful to open
some avenue of escape-or the rank and
file of the party will become so discouraged
that they will not have the spirit to make a
contest in 1888. The organization of the
new Labor party is seized upon by
the Republican leaders and presented
to their followers as hopeful
indication of future Republican success.
That it is Il feigned jollication on the part
Of the Republican leaders is apparent on
the face Of it. There is nothing i'm the stu
alton of political affairs at this time to JUS
tify such a claim. There was certainly
nothing in the recent elections held through
out the country to support such state
ment. In some instances, it is true. the
Democrats suffered BY the aggressiveness of
the labor movement, but in the aggregate
Of gains and losses the Republicans were
the main sufferers. 1t is to be admitted
that there is an element of uncertainty as
to which party would be the heaviest suf-
ferer in 1883 in the event the Knights of
Labor would determine to put presiden.
tial ticket in the field. If majority of the
workingmen are not identified with the
Democratic party, still the Labor platform
is more in accord with the Democratic
creed than with the tenets of Republican,
ism. In fact, the labor movement is an
organized protest against the doctrines and
practices of the Republican party. Ana
if the workingmen i'll solid body should go
off into third party movement it might
possibly result in disaster to the Democrats.
and be the means of restoring the Repub-
licans to power But that very danger will
prevent the workingmen from committing
any such folly. The Knights of Labor
will not act as an Independent political or
ganization. The bastard labor party which
was organized III Cincinnati in February is
in no sense the workingmens organization.
1t consists mainly of visionary political
theorists and WORKOUT party hacks, who
are professedly attempting to tie the
Knights of Labor to their kite, but who in
reality are trying to tie themselves as tail
to the labor kite. The Cincinnati party is
not a representative labor organization, nor
is the HENRY GEORGE movement. While
Mr.. GEORGE is advocating the abolition of
private land titles, Mr.. PoWDERLY is
urging the workingmen of the country to
get land and homes for themselves and
their families. PowDERLY tells the labor
classes that the one great issue in which
they are especially interested is the preserva-
ion of the public domain from the CRASH
OF railway corporations and spectators.
That is Democratic doctrine to the back
bone. The Democratic platform adopted
at Chicago in 1884 declares that 1.-The public
land ought, so far as possible to be kept as
homesteadS for actual settlers; that all I'M
earned lands heretofore improvidently
granted to railroad corporations by the
action of the Republican party should be re-
stored to the public domain, and that no
more grants of land shall be made to cor
porations or be allowed to fall into the
ownership of alien absentees." That plank
meant business. 1t was the business of
practical reform. That is the view the
Democratic president. who was elected
upon that platform, took of it. The whole
policy of this Democratic administration
has been to take the control of the public
land out of the hands of a moneyed aristoc-